Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Asia

South Asia: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 33.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
33.1%
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
10th
of 43 groups
All-time high
60.8%
in 1971
All-time low
33.0%
in 2018
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Asia, 1970–2019

0204060197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Asia stood at 33.1%.

That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and down 26.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Asia peaked at 60.8% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 33.0%, in 2018.

That places South Asia 10th out of 43 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Asia, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in South Asia, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 60.7%
1971 60.8% +0.1%
1972 60.6% -0.3%
1973 60.4% -0.3%
1974 60.3% -0.3%
1975 60.1% -0.2%
1976 60.1% -0.0%
1977 60.0% -0.2%
1978 60.0% -0.1%
1979 59.7% -0.4%
1980 59.3% -0.6%
1981 58.9% -0.7%
1982 58.5% -0.8%
1983 57.7% -1.2%
1984 57.2% -0.9%
1985 56.9% -0.7%
1986 56.5% -0.6%
1987 56.6% +0.1%
1988 56.5% -0.1%
1989 56.4% -0.2%
1990 55.8% -1.2%
1991 54.9% -1.5%
1992 54.1% -1.5%
1993 53.4% -1.3%
1994 53.3% -0.3%
1995 53.5% +0.5%
1996 53.0% -0.9%
1997 53.2% +0.3%
1998 55.6% +4.6%
1999 56.5% +1.6%
2000 55.7% -1.4%
2001 55.8% +0.1%
2002 54.8% -1.8%
2003 52.5% -4.1%
2004 51.4% -2.2%
2005 50.0% -2.7%
2006 48.6% -2.8%
2007 46.8% -3.8%
2008 45.1% -3.5%
2009 44.9% -0.6%
2010 42.6% -5.1%
2011 41.0% -3.7%
2012 39.1% -4.8%
2013 37.6% -3.7%
2014 37.3% -0.8%
2015 35.2% -5.8%
2016 34.4% -2.2%
2017 33.4% -2.8%
2018 33.0% -1.3%
2019 33.1% +0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 60.3% 59.7% 60.8% 10
1980s 57.5% 56.4% 59.3% 10
1990s 54.3% 53.0% 56.5% 10
2000s 50.6% 44.9% 55.8% 10
2010s 36.7% 33.0% 42.6% 10

Countries ranked near South Asia

  1. 7 Burkina Faso 54.1% compare
  2. 8 Mozambique 52.8% compare
  3. 9 Côte d'Ivoire 50.1% compare
  4. 10 Syrian Arab Republic 48.4% compare
  5. 11 Burundi 48.3% compare
  6. 12 Guatemala 45.8% compare
  7. 13 Honduras 45.1% compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More reference data data for South Asia

All data for South Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Asia?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Asia was 33.1% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in South Asia?
The highest recorded value was 60.8% in 1971.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in South Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 33.0% in 2018.
How does South Asia rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
South Asia ranks 10th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in South Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Asia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-and-youth-of-lower-and-upper-secondary-school-age-both/south-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
185 places, 4,210 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of adolescents and youth of lower secondary and upper secondary school age who are not enrolled or attending school during in a given academic year. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/